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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823098">When hope was lost</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoLongerSleepy/pseuds/NoLongerSleepy'>NoLongerSleepy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a thousand needles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>A3! (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Broken Promises, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, How Do I Tag, I Don't Even Know, I Tried, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Promises, Romance, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 02:08:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,012</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25823098</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NoLongerSleepy/pseuds/NoLongerSleepy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Soulmates are known to be two individuals with unbreakable bonds; gold marks appear on the part of their bodies that touch once love becomes mutual— and is supposed to stay there until their last breath. But what if that mark, which symbols their love for each other, suddenly disappeared?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Furuichi Sakyou/Tachibana Izumi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>a thousand needles [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1873678</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. ,</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>May or may not update regularly! This might be a short 4 to 5 chapter fic! Might post the second chapter later or tomorrow :DD</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>I was always wishing upon the stars in the night sky.</em>
</p><p><em>But as years pass by, I knew the possibility of seeing her again is slowly becoming slim</em>—<em>until that moment where I lost all hope.</em></p><hr/><p>He stared at the building, hesitating— brooding it over and over. This isn't what he wanted— this isn't what he wanted to do.</p><p>But he has no choice anymore. He had already done every measure he could think of, just to be able to give this place a chance to once again bloom, <em>just like in the past. </em>But without a proper director, everything was futile.</p><p>'It's time. This is really the end.' He thought to himself while standing in front of the Mankai Company Theater.</p><p>But he noticed that there was a woman standing near him, while also looking at the said building.</p><p>'Who could it be? I don't think she's here to watch the play. Maybe she got lost?' He stared at her, and his heart was somehow fluttering. But it's too late. Nothing can stop him from demolishing this theater's signage and turning it into a bar instead. He's made up his mind to finally let go of his lingering affection towards this theater troupe after years of holding onto that tiny hope in his heart.</p><p>He gathered his courage to try and get her attention. "You shouldn't stay here, or you'll be in danger."</p><p>The moment she turned to look at him, he realized.</p><p>No, it would be more correct to say that he actually knew all along. But his heart couldn't stop from skipping a beat after finally confirming that it was really her.</p><p>He was beyond happy. He thought their paths would never cross again ever since <em>that</em> day.</p><p>But she was just here because of the letter Matsukawa sent to their address. She wasn't here to stay.</p><p>A drop of cold sweat dripped from his forehead after realizing this fact. She isn't here to <em>stay</em>.</p><p>She's only here today, and their paths might never cross ever again if he didn't do something to change that.</p><p>Desperation was the only thing he was feeling at that moment.</p><p>On the outside, he was calm and intimidating. But the truth is, the only thing on his mind at that moment was that he didn't want her to go. He wanted to be with her again, every day, for the rest of his life. But that won't happen unless he does something to alter the situation.</p><p>
  <em>She's already here! If I don't hold her hand properly, she's going to disappear from my grasp.</em>
</p><p>But then, he saw that she was also interested in theater. She definitely felt something for this theater troupe.</p><p>Then it hit him. His father was a director. If she truly cares for this troupe, she'll try to save it until the very end.</p><p>That was the reason why the last condition was for her to become the director.</p><p>
  <em>I've waited for so long to see her again. I was not just going to let this chance slip by.</em>
</p><p>And he was glad that he did what he did that fateful day. Everything wasn't so futile after all.</p><p>"ANIKIIIIIIIII!"</p><p>His thoughts were interrupted by the loud screaming from miles away.</p><p>'That idiot's here,' he sighed and flicked Sakoda's forehead the moment he reached his location. "Shut up. You're too loud, Sakoda."</p><p>"Ehehe, sorry aniki! I was just really happy to see you!" Sakoda beamed a smile at him, like a dog with a wagging tail, excited to see his owner.</p><p>"We need to g—"</p><p>"Wait, ain't that the boss lady over there?" Sakoda noticed and immediately told Sakyo. He knew that his <em>aniki</em> had feelings for her— no, it would be more appropriate to say that everyone already knew— except her.</p><p>"Director-san?" He uttered and immediately glanced behind him, his heart fluttering a bit after seeing that it really was her.</p><p>The crowd between them was big, but somehow he could always spot her wherever she is, like she's a shining treasure he could never overlook. It would happen anytime they're outdoors. Even of it was a mere second, he could immediately tell that it was really her.</p><p>As if feeling his intense stare, Izumi's eyes suddenly darted towards him, surprised to see the blonde man wearing glasses in that place.</p><p>"Sakyo-san! Hello!" He greeted him with a bright smile. Her eyes moved to the person behind him and smiled at him as well. "Hello to you too, Sakoda-san." He returned back the greeting by smiling towards her. "Hey there, boss lady! Didn't think we'd see ya around here!"</p><p>"Are you guys here for work?" Her smile was bright, and seeing that made Sakyo really happy. <em>Not that he'll ever admit that to her, though.</em></p><p>"Yeah." He answered briefly, but immediately followed up with "how about you?"</p><p>Her finger pointed on the nearest theater building as she spoke. "I'm helping out with another troupe today. I'm getting lots of ideas and inspirations, so it's a very fruitful experience!"</p><p>"I see," he replied, trying his hardest to not be affected by her smile, then turned around and muttered "take care" before walking away.</p><p>"See ya later, boss lady! If ya run into any trouble, just call us!" Sakoda told her with a smile, before turning in front of him and yelling "aniki wait for meee!"</p><p>Izumi watched his back as he walked away. Her heart was beating a little louder than usual, and she seems happier and more energetic.</p><p>It's like she's been recharged... not that she knows why.</p><p>Actually, Izumi had been a little confused ever since he met Sakyo. She feels "something" on her chest whenever she sees him. She couldn't spell out what it was really, though. It was a first for her, even when she tried dating way back high school and college.</p><p>Little did she know that the moment she took a step towards her father's old theater, the gears of fate had fallen into place, and is now turning towards the future where she belongs.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. you came</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Two words: sexual tension</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>sorry! i was supposed to post this like eight hours ago, but i got busy :( i do hope you enjoy this chapter tho, this is where it really starts :D</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'Well that's about it,' he thought to himself while driving his car. Finishing his job with Sakoda, he could finally head to the dorms and rest.</p><p>'Oh, right. We're going to have a meeting later. I better—wait, huh?' His eyes squinted to try and see if what he's seeing is actually real.</p><p>'Why is she walking all alone at night?!'</p><p>He immediately drove near her and opened the car's passenger door. "Are you an idiot?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.</p><p>Immediately recognizing the voice, she happily walked in and awkwardly smiled. "Well, you see, it took longer than expected, and then the next thing I knew, I missed the last train!"</p><p>A sigh escaped from his lips. "So? What were you planning to do? Walk home? At night? By yourself?" He bombarded her with questions. Of course, he's mad. 'She's always so careless!' He thought to himself. "Don't you know how dangerous it is for a woman to be walking outside alone? I told you, if you have a problem, you should rely on us!"</p><p>"Well, I did consider taking... a... taxi..." she muttered, her voice going softer by the second after seeing Sakyo's face nearing hers.</p><p>The tension inside the car rose as they stared into each other's eyes. They could feel each other's breathing, and that made their hearts flutter.</p><p>Izumi tried to move her lips to try to speak, but no voice was coming out. As a result, Sakyo glanced at her lips as they moved, his adam's apple moving as he gulped, with drops of sweat forming on his forehead.</p><p>Both almost bumped their heads against each other when a sudden car horn was heard behind them. Both red and flustered, they averted their gazes away from each other, but Sakyo immediately explained to her, "I-idiot. Your uh... your seat belt."</p><p>Her eyes widened at the realization and her face grew hotter from embarrassment as she fastened her seat belt. "I-I'm sorry! I forgot! T-Thanks."</p><p>Throughout the ride, neither of them were talking, but the tension remained high and intense. Izumi couldn't stop squirming from her seat, while Sakyo kept his eyes on the road. He knows that if he ever so much as take a side glance at her, he would lose his cool once more.</p><p>'I can't believe I almost..!' Sakyo thought to himself, wanting to punch his own face out of sheer embarrassment. 'What am I, an aggressive high school delinquent?!'</p><p>'I was so shocked about what happened earlier. I wanted to tell him about our distance, but I just couldn't do it. My heart was pounding so loudly, too...' Izumi pondered, trying to understand what happened back there, but still all flustered about it.</p><p>"Welcome ho— huh? Why is your face so red, director?" was Omi's first words when Izumi and Sakyo entered the dorms. "Are you sick?" Concern was written all over his face, and that made Izumi even more embarrassed.</p><p>"N-No! It's nothing. We're home." Izumi tried to evade his question, but Omi noticed the subtle reddish shade on Sakyo's cheeks. A hint of understanding crossed his face and he smiled knowingly.</p><p>A soft "tch" sound was heard from Sakyo when he saw Omi's smile. 'Sakyo-san being embarrassed like this? How adorable,' he thought to himself. 'Sakyo-san is always scowling and nagging us, so seeing him like this is kinda refreshing.'</p><p>"Um, I'm a little tired, so I'm gonna go to my room now," Izumi immediately excused herself and went straight to her room, leaving the guys in the living room confused.</p><p>"Did something happen with director-sensei?" Taichi wondered after seeing her reddish face.</p><p>"Did she catch a cold or something?" Tsuzuru asked, worried about her health. They all knew that she pushes herself too hard almost every time, so getting sick isn't a far possibility.</p><p>"Oi, shitty Sakyo. What ha— huh?" Azami was supposed to ask him if he knew about what happened to her, but was surprised to see the subtle blushing of his cheeks that he'd been trying to hide.</p><p>Understanding crossed his face as he uttered "oh" to himself, smirking, thinking that Sakyo already confessed or something. Of course, if Sakyo tried to even hold hands with Izumi before their marriage, he was going to beat him to death for engaging in "lewd skinship activity."</p><p>Noticing the knowing look on Omi and Azami's faces, Sakyo immediately headed to his and Azami's room.</p><p>"That shitty blonde four eyes ran away before we could even ask him. What a chicken." Azami muttered to himself, but was heard by the people around him.</p><p>"Huh? Chicken? Who? Sakyo-nii?" Taichi asked, confused, unable to catch on with what's happening.</p><p>"Nothing. I said Omi-san's making a dinner with chicken in it," Azami tried to steer the conversation away from the matter, though he had no idea why. 'Why am I covering up for stingy shitty blonde four eyes..?' he asked himself.</p><p>"Wait, really?! Omi-kun, is it karaage (fried chicken)?!" Taichi excitedly asked Omi, who just laughed after understanding what Azami said. "Who knows? You'll find out later, Taichi."</p><p>Meanwhile, Izumi was practically pacing around her room, back and forth, for 15 minutes straight. She was still blushing, with her thoughts running wild.</p><p>'Wait, what if there was no car horn? Would we... would it end up up in a k-ki—'</p><p>She couldn't even finish her thoughts. She literally dived towards her bed and buried her face on her pillows. She's had boyfriends before, but this was the first time she ever felt this way.</p><p>'I'm already feeling <em>this </em>much, and nothing even happened yet!' She thought to herself, can't even believe that it's happening.</p><p>"Wait, <em>yet</em>? Am I asking for <em>something</em> to happen, then?!" She couldn't help but voice it out, realizing how her thoughts right now are so unbelievable.</p><p>She tried to calm herself by breathing slowly but deeply. 'No, nothing like that will happen. This is Sakyo-san we're talking about,' she tried to dismiss her thoughts. 'He probably only acts like that because he sees me like a helpless little sister... or something...'</p><p>Her emotions went from intensely high to feeling so down after thinking that. 'Why do I feel so disappointed...?'</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. back to me</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Who said you can't flirt while also being responsible adults?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Was supposed to update last night but i got too busy (Filo a3twt im looking at you) but here ya go! I hope you enjoy it! The next chapter will be filled with domestic family fluff interactions between the Mankai dormers, so look forward to it!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.</p><p>This was, believe it or not, not just Izumi, but also Sakyo's ritual before exiting their respective rooms before their meeting with Tsuzuru for the next play.</p><p>'It's not like we'll be all alone,' Izumi tried to reason out to prevent herself from getting flustered like earlier.</p><p>'I'm already so old and yet I'm acting like a teenager, getting nervous like this,' Sakyo scolded himself, trying to calm his heart from pounding so hard.</p><p>Tsuzuru was already sitting on the living room, not realizing the awkward situation waiting to befall him.</p><p>Sakyo arrived to the living room first, sighing with relief after seeing that Izumi wasn't there yet, meaning he still has time to calm himself down completely.</p><p>"Good evening, Sakyo-san," Tsuzuru greeted him as he sat on the sofa. "The director isn't here ye— oh, here she is! Good evening, director."</p><p>His heart immediately skipped a beat, and he sure as hell wanted to curse at himself for reacting like that.</p><p>"A-Ah, good evening, Tsuzuru-kun, Sakyo-san," was the only response Izumi was able to voice out after getting all nervous just from the mere sight of a blonde-haired guy sitting next to Tsuzuru. She hasn't even seen his face yet.</p><p>"Good evening, Director-san." Sakyo greeted her without looking at her in the eyes. He figured out that that way, he won't be as nervous.</p><p>Tsuzuru's eyebrows creased slightly after feeling the tension in the air. 'Is it just me, or are director and Sakyo-san acting weird?'</p><p>"L-Let's start the meeting." Izumi told the two after a deep breath. She can't stay like this; she's a director, and she needs to do her work properly. Or so she thought to herself.</p><p>"O-Okay?" Tsuzuru responded, still weirded out, but tried his best to stay focused on the matter. "So since the Autumn Troupe is for hard-boiled action, I think..."</p><p>Izumi was trying to focus on what Tsuzuru was saying, but her mind was wandering all on its own. She couldn't resist taking glances at Sakyo secretly, but the truth is, Sakyo could <em>feel </em>her eyes landing on him, making his heart start pounding again, even if he tries to calm himself.</p><p>"...what do you think, director?" Tsuzuru glanced up to Izumi as he was asking her a question, only to see her flinch as if she was watching a horror movie. 'Huh? Why is she so shocked?'</p><p>"A-Ah, yes, I think it's a good idea, Tsuzuru-san," Izumi immediately responded, starting to blush slightly after almost being seen looking at Sakyo instead of Tsuzuru, who was in the middle of a discussion regarding the new script.</p><p>Her response made Tsuzuru make a bothered expression, and he sighed before looking straight into Izumi's eyes. "Director? Is something the matter?"</p><p>"Huh? What do you mean?" Izumi asked him with his heart starting to pound. 'Oh no! If he straightforwardly asked me why was I looking at Sakyo, I might get flustered again!' She thought to herself, nervous, a drop of sweat forming on her forehead.</p><p>"You don't call me Tsuzuru-san... I mean, it's fine, but I've gotten used to being called with <em>-kun</em>, so I thought something was... up." He explained to her, slowly connecting the dots after noticing the subtle blush on both their faces.</p><p>'So that's what happened,' he thought to himself, sighing internally, then started to pack his things from the table. "Oh, I remembered that I have an essay to write tonight, so if everything's settled with the script, I need to excuse myself."</p><p>Izumi's eyes widened after hearing what Tsuzuru just said. 'Eh?! He's not staying like usual?! But if he needed to excuse himself for his studies, I can't really stop him...'</p><p>"O-Okay. Thank you for all your hard work, Tsuzuru-kun," was the only thing that came out of her mouth.</p><p>"Thank you for always working hard for this troupe, Minagi," was Sakyo's only words after staying silent all this time. He was nervous as hell— <em>he tried his best</em>.</p><p>"Thank you for all your hard work too, director, Sakyo-san," he bowed at them, then continued. "Then I'll be excusing myself."</p><p>The walk he took was almost a run, wanting to escape that place with such a high tension as soon as possible. 'I've never felt that tension again since the day Juza-san and Banri-san realized that they're soulmates,' he thought to himself, remembering how chaotic it was.</p><p>Meanwhile, the two of them grew so silent, that they could even hear their own breathing. It was already ten o'clock, and it was a weekday, so even the noisy teenagers were already asleep.</p><p>"Uh, l-lets start the meeting, director." His voice broke the ice after so long, after he gained enough courage to speak, realizing that he's the older of the both of them, so he needs to be cool headed.</p><p>"O-Oh right. Let's do that," Izumi replied and breathed deeply to fully calm herself. 'This isn't the time to be distracted by stupid things! I'm a director now, I need to pull myself together!'</p><p>Sakyo, finally being able to calm himself down, took out his auditing notebook, and started talking about the financial matters of the company. "So I think it would be better to start selling this kind of merchandise during..."</p><p>"Wait, isn't it better to..." she cut him off, becoming able to focus on the matter at hand. After all, she's a director; she can't let her emotions run wild for so long. She has work, and she will see to it that they get fulfilled. She didn't take up the job with a half-assed resolve.</p><p>Almost 30 minutes had already passed, and they're still talking about the regional tours, although that was the last topic that they needed to address.</p><p>"So at this time, every body is free. Do you think it'd be fine it we hold this event at this date?" Sakyo asked her, encircling some dates on his calendar, without looking at her of course, because he knew that he's just going to be distracted.</p><p>"I think it'll be great. I bet the Summer troupe would love to be able to go play during Summer," she smiled happily while imagining their excited faces after they find out that they have a performance soon, and they can wander around for a whole day after the performance.</p><p>"They aren't going there to play," he sighed and closed his notebook after jotting some details. "Well... I think that's it director."</p><p>"Ah, finally..." Izumi whispered to herself and started stretching her arms, feeling so relieved that she can finally take some rest.</p><p>"Then that concludes our monthly meeting, director. Please be sure to..." he suddenly stopped in his tracks after finding out that Izumi's eyes were closed. 'Huh?! Did she fall asleep?'</p><p>"Director-san?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. my love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Domestic family fluff in the mankai dorms ❤</p><p>...so what happened after Izumi fell asleep on the living room?</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE POSTED LAST NIGHT BUT I FORGOT AGAIN IM SO SORRY SHSJJSJSA I HOPE U LIKE THE CHAPTER!! Idk if u would like Homare's poem but i had a lot of fun coming up with it shsjjsjaja</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maybe it was due to mere exhaustion. Maybe it was because her emotions have been on a roller coaster today. Or maybe she was just sleepy. But this situation made Sakyo feel both mad and happy at the same time.</p><p>His eyes continued to burn a hole through Izumi as he kept thinking on what he should do.</p><p><br/>
Should he just let her stay like this? But it's too cold in the living room. She might get sick. Of course, he doesn't want that. The other guys would probably nag him if he just let her sleep here when it's cold.</p><p>Should he wake her up? 'But she looks so comfortable and peaceful while sleeping. I don't want to interrupt her.'</p><p>He sighed and stretched his arms. There's only one thing to do then. It's not like this is the first time he's ever gonna do this. He used to carry her back before, as she easily falls asleep when she gets tired after playing all afternoon. She particularly loved piggyback rides.</p><p><br/>
But it was different now. They were adults, and not kids anymore. So, he was nervous, but also delighted. He was so happy that it was him who was with her at this moment. </p><p><br/>
'Her sleeping face is still the same as when she was a little kid who pulled me everywhere,' he thought to himself, looking back at the time when she fell asleep on the swing, and he had to carry her back to the Mankai dorms. </p><p><br/>
'Yukio-san scolded her that day for playing too much, and even told her to apologize to me for causing me trouble,' he chuckled after remembering that scene. 'Although Yukio-san thanked me a lot for bringing her home safe, I still think that what I've done is still not enough compared to what they all did for me.'</p><p><br/>
A warm smile slowly crept up his face while thinking of the first generation members along with their director, Yukio Tachibana. He really hopes that he could see them all again, to properly express his gratitude. </p><p><br/>
He bent his knees and stretched his arm forward to start carrying her, but he froze up on the spot the moment he noticed that.</p><p><br/>
'Huh? What could this mean?'</p><p><br/>
His eyes were wide with shock and his hands trembled as he reached for her hand. </p><p><br/>
'How could this be?'</p><p><br/>
The little mark shined in his eyes, golden, and tears slowly started to cloud his vision, as he stared at her pinky finger.</p><p><br/>
"How come your mark is still here, Izumi?"</p>
<hr/><p><br/>
Sunlight shone through the window panes of Izumi's room, waking her up from her slumber. Stretching her arms as she sat up, she smiled, feeling like she'd rested so peacefully after days of being busy.</p><p><br/>
After washing her face in the mirror and fixing her bedhead, she immediately went out of her room and headed straight to the dining room.</p><p><br/>
On the hallway, Juza and Banri passed by her while arguing like usual. "Just come with me, damn it!" Juza glared at him and went, "if you want me to come with you, just ask nicely for once!"</p><p><br/>
Banri pulled Juza's collar while glaring back at him, which made Izumi worry that they'd start fighting for real. But Banri looked away from Juza and whispered "please come with me, <em>you jerk</em>."</p><p><br/>
Izumi didn't notice the subtle blush on Banri's face, and Juza just smiled at him, answering with a gentle voice, "sure."</p><p><br/>
Banri, probably embarrassed the hell out, walked briskly towards the main door, in which Juza quickly followed.</p><p><br/>
Izumi was curious what all that was about, but she just kept walking towards the dining room. They can do whatever they want, they're adults now.</p><p><br/>
The high school kids were just about to leave when she got there. "Good morning, director-san! We'll be going now!" said Kumon as he waved his hand. "See you later, director," Azami bid goodbye as they both left for school.</p><p><br/>
"Take care on the—"</p><p><br/>
"I need to go now too, director. Where's my kiss?" Masumi stopped in front of her with a slight blush on his cheeks, cutting her off.</p><p><br/>
"Rejected," was Izumi's immediate reaction as she sighed. "Hah. That face you're making when you reject me is also cute..." he muttered dreamily before Tsuzuru dragged him away from Izumi. "Stop that. You're going to be late now, right? Get going."</p><p><br/>
Masumi was of course, annoyed by Tsuzuru's nagging, but still complied and headed straight for the door. "We'll be going now!" Tsuzuru greeted them, and Masumi quickly followed up with "wait for me, director! I'll head straight home so you won't miss me!"</p><p><br/>
Izumi just chuckled awkwardly and waved her hand. "Okay, okay. Take care on the way home!"</p><p><br/>
"That psycho stalker really never changes," Yuki commented as he put on his shoes, along with Muku. </p><p><br/>
"Ahaha. Masumi-kun won't be Masumi-kun if he isn't all over director..." Muku muttered as they both head straight to the door. "We'll be going now!"</p><p><br/>
"Take care on the way home, you two!" Izumi greeted them back as she sat on the dining table. She turned to Omi who was serving her breakfast. "I'm sorry for having you do this Omi-kun, even when you already have work..."</p><p><br/>
Omi just smiled back at her, shaking his head in disagreement. "No, it's fine. Like I've already said, I'm doing this because I like doing it."</p><p><br/>
"Omi-kun is really like the mom of this dorm," Taichi commented while eating his breakfast. "Hmm? You don't have classes today, Taichi-kun?" Izumi asked, checking the wall clock, seeing that it's almost 7:30 in the morning.</p><p><br/>
"Oh, the professor on my first class is away today. He said he has things he needs to accomplish, so we can't meet. My next class is still 10:30 until 12 o'clock, so I can take it a little easy today!" He happily replied, which made Itaru sigh. "I want to go back to college and take it easy too," he sulked as he finished his breakfast. </p><p><br/>
"Itaru-san will always be Itaru-san huh," Izumi commented with a sigh. Just then, Chikage finished eating and stood up. "Thank you for the food. Chigasaki, let's go. We'll be late."</p><p><br/>
"Okay. But you should drive. I need to drain my SP before going to work," he muttered and fiddled along on his phone while walking towards the door.</p><p><br/>
"Itaru's gap moe is just too great!" Citron commented after popping out of nowhere. Tsumugi, who just entered the dining room, creased his eyebrows in confusion. "Gap moe? What's that?"</p><p><br/>
"Don't ask me," Tasuku frowned at him.</p><p><br/>
"Oh! Me! Me! Me! I know what it is!" Taichi excitedly raised his hand.</p><p><br/>
"Shut up and just explain it, Nanao. You're too loud so early in the morning," Sakyo responded to him with a sigh after entering the room right after Tsumugi and Tasuku.</p><p><br/>
"Ehehe, sorry Sakyo-nii! Gap moe is when someone has an unexpected side from what they initially seem, and it makes them adorable!" Taichi proudly explains, and Homare suddenly joined the conversation after entering next to Sakyo.</p><p><br/>
"Ahh, what a peculiar word! I might be able to use that! <em>Limitless love, a bridge swaying, whoosh and whoosh! Gap moe hiding in the bush</em>!"</p><p><br/>
"What the heck are  you even talking about?" Tasuku further frowned at them and Tsumugi just giggled awkwardly beside him.</p><p><br/>
"Everyone is so noisy..." Sakyo complained as he unconsciously sat beside Izumi. Hearing this, Izumi giggled and beamed a smile at him. "But that means this dorm is bursting with happiness, right?"</p><p><br/>
Sakyo just responded with a soft "hmph," while trying to suppress the smile forming on his lips. His eyes caught a glimpe of her pinky finger as she ate with her chopsticks, and his heart skipped a beat.</p><p><br/>
<em>"Huh? It's just you shitty Sakyo," Azami sleepily murmured after getting woken up by the door's sound of being opened.</em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"Ah, did I woke you up? Sorry," Sakyo apologized in a soft voice, which made Azami open his eyes widely to look at him.</em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>'That stingy shitty blonde four eyes  is apologizing?!'</em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>The look on Sakyo's face left him with his mouth hanging open. His eyes were a little red from crying, but nevertheless he was smiling so happily. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"What's with that creepy look on your face?" Azami couldn't stop himself from asking. He was dying to know what happened. Then he remembered— 'Director and shitty Sakyo was supposed to have their meeting tonight. Did something happen?'</em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"Shut up, shitty brat." He retorted, but couldn't hide the happiness in his tone. This was the first time he ever saw Sakyo this happily— and honestly, Azami didn't find it unpleasant. </em>
</p><p><br/>
<em>"Just go to sleep, geezer. You're old, you're gonna ruin your skin," he nagged him and closed his eyes before whispering "good night."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Sakyo's smile bursted with even more happiness, as he walked towards his own bed and replied with a soft "good night."</em>
</p><p><br/>
The breakfast looked so delicious, like always. Excited to take a bite, she immediately thanked for the food, and was about to take a bite, but...</p><p><br/>
Izumi suddenly blinked and froze after realizing something the moment she looked at Sakyo. The side dish she was about to eat fell back to her plate.</p><p><br/>
'Huh? Why? I don't... I don't remember how the meeting ended!'</p><p><br/>
Nervous, she gulped before turning to the man sitting beside him, and softly whispered "Sakyo-san... did I... perhaps... fall asleep last night?"</p><p><br/>
Sakyo's eyes turned to look at her and tried his best to answer "yes" as causally as possible. Of course, it's a facade. He's trying hard not to get flustered, more so because of what he saw last night.</p><p><br/>
This response made Izumi's cheeks get tainted with a shade of pink, as she whispered back "don't tell me you..."</p><p><br/>
"I did. I carried you to your room," he curtly answered and a deafening silence went by for a few seconds, before Izumi, and the others who clearly heard the conversation, went "...what?"</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. and held</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>fluff, then angst, then fluff, then angst, then-</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i am VERY sorry i only updated right now HSHGDHSDG i got a li'l busy with a lot of stuff. do check my twitter handle, especially if you're Filo, because I have a lot of Eng/Filo socmed aus &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“What’s for dinner later? <em> Carry? </em> Oh wait, sorry, I meant <em> curry.” </em></p><p> </p><p>“Director, do you need help in <em> carrying </em> that?”</p><p> </p><p>“I want to eat a cake with a <em> carry- </em> I meant <em> cherry </em>on top.”</p><p> </p><p>“CAN YOU PLEASE STOP IT?” Izumi, in a high pitched voice with her cheeks flaming red, told the people who are accompanying her to the market for dinner.</p><p> </p><p>“Why? I think our jokes are very creative,” said Azuma with a giggle.</p><p> </p><p> “We used our trains to think of them!” Citron commented with a wide smile.</p><p> </p><p>“You mean brains,” Tasuku retorted while carrying most of the bags, with Tsumugi chuckling on the side. He gave her a teasing smile, and said, “you look so red, director. Are you sick? Should we <em> carry </em> you back?”</p><p> </p><p>“Ooh! Nice one Tsumugi! That was so unpersuadable!” Citron cheered, which just made Tasuku sigh for the nth time. “That’s probably unpredictable.”</p><p> </p><p>“I-It’s just a normal thing! You know, l-like how Tasuku-san carries Hisoka-san when he falls asleep!” Izumi tried to reason out without looking back at them. Her cheeks felt like they’re on fire, and her heart was beating so loud she could barely hear their voices.</p><p> </p><p><em> ‘Oh my God, Sakyo-san! Why did you have to say that out loud! Now </em> <b> <em>I’m </em> </b> <em> the one suffering the consequences!’ </em> she screamed internally. It felt like punching Sakyo in the gut would be <em> very </em>satisfying right now.</p><p> </p><p>“We all know that it’s different, but whatever floats your boat, Di-rec-tor~” Azuma teased, whispering in her ear as he walked past her to climb onto Tasuku’s car, making her even more embarrassed. </p><p> </p><p>
  <em> ‘Why do I feel like this? I feel like my heart is going to burst!’ </em>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>After dinner and washing the dishes, Izumi sat on the courtyard and looked up at the moon. It’s chilly outside, but she was wearing a really thick jacket, as well as the scarf that Sakyo lent to her but when she wanted to give it back, Sakyo said she could keep it, to keep herself warm.</p><p> </p><p>“Am I… with Sakyo-san..? B-But that means— I mean, I can’t—”</p><p> </p><p>Izumi almost screamed when someone suddenly jumped down near her, but realized it was only Misumi, who was sitting on the roof just a few minutes ago.</p><p> </p><p>“Misumi-kun! What did I tell you about jumping from the second floor? That’s dangerous!” Izumi scolded him, in which he just smiled and said, “it’s fine! It’s faster this way. I wanted to reach you as soon as possible, Director-san. You seem like you just lost your favorite triangle.”</p><p> </p><p>Izumi’s lips curled up in a smile after hearing that. “What does that even mean? But…” She sighed and held onto the scarf around her neck, squeezing it with her hand. “That could actually be the case…”</p><p> </p><p>This made Misumi’s eyes grow wide, worry written all over his face. “Oh no! We need to find your missing triangle, Director-san. What happened?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was just confused,” Izumi replied while looking up at the moon. It could be clearly seen in the night sky, unlike her mind that’s cloudy with a lot of thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ve dated people before. Sure, I enjoyed it, but nobody else made me feel this way. Lately, w-whenever I see Sakyo-san, I feel my chest tighten, a-and my cheeks start to burn. I’m confused, do I actually like him, or is this just because of <em> that </em> particular embarrassing moment? Or maybe I’m just getting caught in the heat. We’ve been together in the Mankai Company for so long, so… why only now did I feel this way? It doesn’t make sense.” Izumi sighed and buried her face onto her knees, hugging herself and hiding her cheeks that once again, started to heat up.</p><p> </p><p>Seeing her curl up with herself like that, Misumi’s hand slowly wrapped around Izumi and hugged her tightly, his other hand patting her head gently. With a beaming smile, he began to speak with his heart. “I love everyone from Mankai Company! I love Jii-chan and Madoka! I love triangles! I think you shouldn’t think about it making sense, because love doesn’t need to make sense. You love someone because you love them! If someone asks me why I love the Mankai Company, the only reason is because I <em> love </em>it! It doesn’t need a logical reason, Director-san.”</p><p> </p><p>Like a rain that started to let up, it felt like a ray of sunshine shone through her eyes as she realized that what Misumi said was true. </p><p> </p><p>Love isn’t born from logical reasoning.</p><p> </p><p>...because love itself <em> is </em>irrational.</p><p> </p><p>“Misumi-kun… I love Sakyo-san.”</p><p> </p><p>A bright smile was plastered on Misumi’s face as he nodded at her. “I’m happy that you now know, Director-san. Your smile looks like you’ve found your most favorite triangle.”</p><p> </p><p>A smile that exudes nothing but happiness appeared on her face, and she hugged him tight and said, “thank you.”</p><p> </p><p>Breaking the hug, Izumi stood up and held the scarf’s end tightly, as if asking for courage. “I want to tell him.”</p><p> </p><p>Grinning happily, Misumi waved his hand at her and said, “good luck, Director-san! God Sankaku-kun will watch over you and give you courage.”</p><p> </p><p>Izumi’s steps were quick, but every step was filled with excitement and nervousness. </p><p> </p><p>Ever since realizing that she’s actually in love with him, her heart felt so light, as if something was taken off her chest.</p><p> </p><p>‘So this is how feeling in love— and knowing it— feels like! I feel so happy and giddy. Geez, I feel like a high school student.’</p><p> </p><p>“No! That’s… up! I don’t…stupid.”</p><p> </p><p>‘Hmm?’</p><p> </p><p>Izumi stopped in her tracks as soon as she heard Sakyo’s voice. Her heart started thumping so loud that it felt like it’s going to jump out of her mouth. </p><p> </p><p>Inhale.</p><p> </p><p>Exhale.</p><p> </p><p>She tried to breathe slowly to calm herself down before once again starting to walk again.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh come on, pops! Tell us! You’re so stingy!”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah. Just spill it out, shitty Sakyo.”</p><p> </p><p>“Sakyo-nii, just tell us!”</p><p> </p><p>Izumi finally reached the doorway towards the lounge, when she heard something that made her halt in her steps.</p><p> </p><p>“I don’t have a mark! I’ve never had a mark! Shut up and stop asking me about stupid stuff!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He doesn’t have a mark. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He isn't the one for you, Izumi. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Did you really think that just because you found out that you love him, he’d magically have the same mark as you? </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> He has someone else destined for him, and you are destined for somebody else. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Regardless of your feelings. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>A tear escaped from her eyes as she realized the bitter truth.</p><p> </p><p>If she continues pursuing him, that means taking him away from the person who was really meant for him.</p><p> </p><p>“Why are you crying?” She whispered to herself, slowly turning her back from the place she wanted to go to- in Sakyo’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>“He was never yours to begin with, Izumi. Why would I feel…”</p><p> </p><p>A step. </p><p> </p><p>And another.</p><p> </p><p>And another one.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> “...why do I feel like he was taken away from me?” </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>the @ is thirstyjang ! don't worry it's not a thirst account hELP it's my main a3twt account!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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